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Candidates prepare for 2nd and final debate

Trump and Biden will face off in a final presidential debate this evening.

ByLibby Cathey and Karma Allen
Last Updated: October 23, 2020, 7:00 AM EDT

With 12 days to go until Election Day, and President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden racing toward Nov. 3, voters have turned out in record numbers to cast their ballots early as the candidates head to Nashville for a final showdown.

More than 45 million Americans have already voted in the 2020 election, reflecting an extraordinary level of participation and interest despite unprecedented barriers brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

The candidates face off in the final presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle from Belmont University in Nashville Thursday evening -- their last chance to pitch themselves to tens of millions of voters in primetime before Nov. 3.

In the final weeks of campaigning, the president has remained on defense as polls show him trailing nationally and in several battleground states key to his reelection hopes.

Biden, maintaining a lead in national polls -- his largest of the election, according to FiveThirtyEight's average -- stayed off the trail ahead of the debate, a pattern for the former vice president. The debate offers Biden a platform to solidify his lead so long as he avoids any major mistakes in the homestretch.

Polls indicate a huge pre-Election-Day edge for Biden and a sizable Trump advantage among those who plan to vote on Nov. 3 itself. Trump has sowed doubt in the mail-in ballot process -- and imminent election results -- for months.

All 50 states plus Washington, D.C., have some form of early voting underway. Check out FiveThirtyEight’s guide to voting during the COVID-19 pandemic here.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Oct 22, 2020, 2:05 PM EDT

First couple departs for debate in Nashville

President Donald Trump and Melania Trump held hands as they departed Washington for Nashville to attend the final presidential debate, marking the first lady's first public appearance since she and the president announced they tested positive for COVID-19.

The first couple emerged from the White House residence and waved to supporters who gathered to see them off. They stood at some distance from the assembled crowd, but they did not wear face coverings. 

President Donald Trump and First lady Melania Trump depart the White House, in Washington, DC, Oct. 22 2020, headed for Nashville, Tennessee where he will participate in a debate with former Vice President Joe Biden.
Chris Kleponis/POOL/EPA via Shutterstock

Once at Joint Base Andrews, the first couple again held hands as they walked across the tarmac with mask-wearing escorts. The pair did not take any questions. 

Melania Trump was supposed to join the president on the campaign trail on Tuesday but that appearance was canceled due to a "lingering cough."

The White House previously told ABC News that the president and first lady had both tested negative since falling ill but as of early Thursday afternoon hadn't released information verifying negative tests ahead of the debate.

-ABC News' Jordyn Phelps

Oct 22, 2020, 12:52 PM EDT

Biden plans to focus on at-home viewers during debate

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s team has remained tight-lipped about preparation for the final debate, but allies and advisers to Biden said they aren’t expecting much of a change from either candidate ahead of tonight's crucial matchup.


“I think Joe Biden is prepared for a completely unconventional debate in which the President of the United States does not act presidential [for] one minute. And the challenge is to not be distracted by the Trump show, and to make sure that Joe effectively puts out his positive vision,” Sen. Chris Coons, (D-Del.) told ABC News.

The dual town halls of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and President Donald Trump are seen on television monitors at Luv Child restaurant ahead of the election in Tampa, Fla., Oct. 15, 2020.
Octavio Jones/Reuters

An aide to Biden said the former vice president plans to again focus on his message to viewers at home, but would not be shy about standing up to Trump’s interjections when necessary, especially given reports of the president’s planned personal attacks on Biden and his family.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Oct 22, 2020, 12:07 PM EDT

Biden tests negative for COVID-19 for 13th time since last debate

Campaign officials said Joe Biden tested negative for COVID-19 ahead of his final debate with President Donald Trump tonight.

ABC News hosts a town hall with Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden, Oct. 15, 2020, in Philadelphia.
Heidi Gutman/ABC News

“Vice President Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today and COVID-19 was not detected,” the campaign said in a statement.

It was his thirteenth negative test since the campaign began disclosing test results in the aftermath of the last debate, the campaign said.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Oct 22, 2020, 11:28 AM EDT

Election officials urge voters to cast mail-in ballots now

With an estimated 55 million requested absentee ballots not yet turned in, top election officials and voter advocates are urging voters to send in their ballots before it's too late.

Earlier this week, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the recommended mail-by date for ballots in her state has already passed and encouraged voters "to return them as soon as possible" by hand delivering them to a local clerk’s office or a ballot drop box.

Officials in 29 states, including Michigan, say absentee ballots must be received by the end of Election Day in order to count. Twenty-one states say absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and can still count if they arrive in a limited window after.

"If you are using the mail, you want to get it in as early as possible -- like now," League of Women Voters CEO Virgnia Kase said in an interview with ABC News Thursday. "Otherwise, dropping it off at one of those secure ballot drop boxes really is probably the safest and easiest way to make sure that your ballot is counted in on time."

-ABC News' Devin Dwyer